Opt for a Cold Shower

One of the most intimate, relaxing times of the day is getting into a hot shower and just soaking in the heat for 20 minutes. Perhaps there have been occasions when you were taking a hot shower and someone abruptly flushes the toilet, giving you a relatively unpleasant sensation of cold water. Maybe someone before you took their time in the shower and when it was your turn, there was no hot water left. As adverse as it sounds, it could’ve been a blessing in disguise.

Many people don’t realize the impact of immersing in hot water for an extended period of time. Hot water tends to dry out our skin and hair which tends to cause issues like constantly dry skin and hair that falls out. A panacea to this problem is doing the exact opposite: taking a cold shower. Not only can it prevent constantly dry skin and lessen the amount of hair being shed (not to mention saving some money on your next water bill), but it has tons of scientifically proven benefits:

1. Improve circulation – When the cold hits your body, it stimulates the circulatory system. the blood goes straight to the organs to keep them warm and running, especially the arteries in the heart.

2. Lose weight – When researching this, I learned that there are two kinds of fat tissues found in the body: white fat and brown fat. We want to get rid of the white fat that is accumulated through carbs and food, eventually getting trapped in our body. The brown fat keeps our body warm. It also gets activated when surged by cold conditions. This process removes white fat tissue and generates more brown fat.

3. Increase testosterone – Ever wonder why the male testicles and scrotum are outside of the body? That’s because they need a cool temperature to allow sperm to thrive. The DNA is temperature sensitive and with hot showers, can have a lasting impact on male fertility.

4. Elevate mood – Acting as oxidative stress, cold showers force your body to adapt and breathing improves drastically. In the process, your body and mind harden that will heighten your threshold of stress. It has been found that cold showers increase electrical impulses in the brain, producing an anti-depressive effect. Overall, mood and emotions become higher.

5. More energy – Rather than drink a cup of coffee, a cold shower jolts the whole body awake. Just give it a try and see for yourself. However, this tends to last only for a few hours until it’s practiced regularly.

6. Strengthen immunity – It’s been shown that cold showers increase the rate and activation of white blood cells in the immune system. In addition, cold showers contract the vessels in your lymphatic system and exposure to hot water relaxes the vessels. In alternation, they remove toxins.

7. Ease muscle soreness – After a long, vigorous workout, athletes tend to take ice baths or cold showers. Doing this lessens the soreness one feels in their body. After a workout at home or at the gym, a cold shower can take off some of that delayed soreness.

Give it a try for a few days. For those that want to ease in, reduce the amount of hot water exposure, then finish off with cold water. In essence, you should end with cold water. Go for 30 seconds, then 1 minute, 2 minutes, and so on.